e-Cigarette Use and Perceived Harm Among Women of Childbearing Age Who Reported Tobacco Use During the Past Year.
Kristin Ashford, Amanda Wiggins, Karen Butler and 3 others
PMID 27579508WHAT IT FOUND
Tobacco-using women who were younger or White/non-Hispanic were more likely to use e-cigarettes frequently.
Pregnant women were less likely than nonpregnant women, but most current users also smoked cigarettes. Perceived harm was not related to use.
Key findings
01Pregnant women were 51% less likely to be more frequent e-cigarette users than nonpregnant participants.
02White/non-Hispanic women were 227% more likely than minority participants to use e-cigarettes more frequently.
03Most current e-cigarette users were dual users, also currently smoking cigarettes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Self-reported tobacco use was not verified biochemically, and no test can distinguish cigarette smoking from e-cigarette use. Daily e-cigarette consumption was not measured, so the study could not assess how much women used. The sample was recruited from Kentucky clinics and quota or purposive sampling may not generalize to wider populations. The study is cross-sectional, so it shows associations, not causes or changes over time. It did not know whether dual users started cigarettes or e-cigarettes first. Other tobacco products besides cigarettes and e-cigarettes were not assessed. Nurses screened participants, but the study did not test nurse screening or counselling.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. Publication types list research support from NIH and non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that e-cigarettes are safe or effective for quitting during pregnancy. This survey only describes who used them and how often, and it did not test quitting outcomes. Most current e-cigarette users were also smoking cigarettes.